BANANA SPECIES-
Bananas are one of the most widely grown, traded, and eaten of all the crops—an essential
and much-loved part of the diet for many people around the world. Modern bananas are
sterile, containing only tiny residual seeds, so new banana plants are propagated from
cuttings. The sterile domesticated banana is the result of ancient crossbreeding between
wild species. In contrast, wild bananas are packed full of bullet-like seeds and contain very
little edible fruit.
Wild bananas can be found in the wet, hot forests of New Guinea and South and Southeast
Asia, but for many years the origin of domesticated bananas was a complete mystery .
IMAGE COURTESY- The Conversation
BANANA species belongs to Musa genus of family Musaceae of order Zingiberales of
class Magnoliopsida of phylum Magnoliophyta of kingdom Plant of domain
Eukarya. Almost all modern edible seedless bananas come from two wild species- Musa
acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant.
Evolutionary History of BANANA -
The MUSA domestication started around 7,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. The earliest
domestication of Bananas were initially from naturally occurring parthenocarpic (seedless)
individuals of Musa acuminata banksii in New Guinea. Numerous phytoliths of bananas have
been recovered from Kuk Swamp archaeological site and dated to around 10,000 to 65,00
BP. From New Guinea, cultivated bananas spread westward into Island Southeast Asia
through proximity. They hybridized with other (possibly independently domesticated)
subspecies of Musa acuminata as well as Musa balbisiana in the Philippines, northern New
Guinea, and possibly Halmahera. These hybridization events produced the triploid cultivars
of bananas which are commonly grown today. From Island Southeast Asia, they became
part of the staple domesticated crops of Austronesian peoples and were spread during their
voyages and ancient maritime trading routes into Oceania, East Africa, South Asia, and
Indochina. During the 15th and 16th century, Portuguese started banana plantations in Brazil,
Atlantic Islands and Western Africa. People from North America started consuming bananas
shortly after the civil war, thought it was only after 1880’s that banana became more
widespread. Until the Victorian era, bananas were not very known in Europe although they
were widely available. Jules Verne introduced bananas to the readers in his book “Around
the World in Eighty Days”.
WILD BANANAS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
IMAGE [Link]
The earliest modern plantations of banana started from Jamaica and related Caribbean
Zone Western. It was because of the modern transportation networks of steamships and
railroads with the development of refrigeration that allowed more time between harvesting
and ripening of crop.
Finding ancient evidence for soft, sappy plants like bananas was extremely difficult. The
problem is worse in the tropical forests, because of the rapid decay of organic matter in
heat and humidity.
The technique of using phytoliths (tiny complex-shaped particles of silica laid down in plant
cells) provided an excellent tool for archeologists and paleobotanists exploring the origin
and history of tropical plants. Some phytoliths of domesticated bananas are distinctive and
provide and therefore allow archeologists to chart their appearance in ancient sediments.
All the widely cultivated bananas today descend from two wild bananas Musa acuminata
and Musa balbisiana. While the original wild bananas contained large seeds, diploid or
polyploid cultivars (some being hybrids) with tiny seeds or triploid hybrids without seeds are
preferred for human raw fruit consumption,[73] as banana seeds are large and hard and
spiky and liable to crack teeth. These are propagated asexually from offshoots. The plant is
allowed to produce two shoots at a time; a larger one for immediate fruiting and a smaller
"sucker" or "follower" to produce fruit in 6–8 months.
As a non-seasonal crop, bananas are available fresh year-round.
Economic and ecological significance of Bananas-
Bananas constitute a major staple food crop for millions of people living in Developing
countries. In many tropical countries, green(unripe) bananas used for cooking represent the
main cultivators. Banana hearts are used as vegetable in South Asian and Southeast Asian
cuisine. Banana leaves are large, flexible and waterproof. They are often used as ecofriendly
disposable food containers or as “plates” in several countries. Banana leaves are also used
for cooking purposes. Their leaf packages containing food ingredients and spices are cooked
in steam or in boiled water. While being cooked in steam, the banana leaves protect the
food and ingredients from burning and add a nice sweet flavor to it. In South India, it is a
kind of a custom to serve traditional food on banana leaf. The tender core of banana leaf is
also used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine. Banana is also used as a fiber for
textiles after being harvested from pseudo stems and leaves of the plant. Banana fiber is
also used in making of paper. Banana paper is made up of two different parts- one is the
bark of banana plant or from the fibers of stem and non-usable fruits.
In India, banana also serves a prominent part in many festivals and occasions of Hindus. In
South Indian weddings, particularly Hindu weddings, banana trees are tied in pairs to form
an arch as a blessing to the couple for long-lasting happy life. In Thailand, it is believed that
a certain type of banana plant may be inhabited by a spirit, Nang Tani, a type of ghost
related to trees and similar plants that manifests itself as a young woman.[147] Often
people tie a length of colored satin cloth around the pseudo stem of the banana plants.
Diseases related to bananas-
1- Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) - Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is a plant virus
of the genus Babuvirus, family Nanonviridae affecting Musa spp. (including banana,
abaca, plantain and ornamental bananas) and Ensete spp. in the family
Musaceae.[106] Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) symptoms include dark green
streaks of variable length in leaf veins, midribs and petioles. Leaves become short
and stunted as the disease progresses, becoming 'bunched' at the apex of the plant.
Infected plants may produce no fruit or the bunch may not emerge from the
pseudostem.[107] The virus is transmitted by the banana aphid Pentalonia
nigronervosa and is widespread in SE Asia, Asia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Oceania and
parts of Africa. There is no cure for BBTD, but it can be effectively controlled by the
eradication of diseased plants and the use of virus-free planting material.[108] No
resistant cultivars have been found, but varietal differences in susceptibility have
been reported. The commercially important Cavendish subgroup is severely affected.
2- Banana bacterial wilt- Banana bacterial wilt (BBW) is a bacterial disease caused by
Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum.[109] After being originally identified on a
close relative of bananas, Ensete ventricosum, in Ethiopia in the 1960s,[110] BBW
occurred in Uganda in 2001 affecting all banana cultivars. Since then BBW has been
diagnosed in Central and East Africa including the banana growing regions of
Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, and
Uganda.
Is further speciation of bananas possible?
Banana itself is a combination of two biologically different species- Musa Acuminata and
Musa balbisiana. Further speciation of bananas does not seem possible in the near future as
the environmental conditions suitable are suitable for their growth which is why natural
selection is not acting to eliminate it. Banana is basically a tropical crop and grows well in
tropical conditions in temperature range of 13-38 º C. So, the present environmental
conditions favor the growth of bananas. Only if a genetic mutation takes place in its present
species, then speciation can occur in it.
Research questions on Bananas-
1- How did Musa domestication lead to the evolution of species of bananas such as
Musa Acuminata and Musa balbisiana?
2- How did the evolution of Musa genus take place?
3- How phytoliths were used to trace the evolutionary history of bananas?
4- How is genetic similarity between banana genome and human genome?
5- How are bananas different from plantians?
BIBLIOGRAPHY-
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